Get some great ideas about the incredible variety of places & natural beauties you can see here in just one day.. so imagine what you could get up to in a week! Each morning you could use our tips & directions to either go off on your own on foot, by car or bike, or go exploring with a local guide. Every year we find even more new places to visit and are regularly shocked how lovely they are.. So here you are.. introducing all that is best and varied about our "zone", Green Slovenia, north Italy and north Croatia in CAVES, CASTLES, MOUNTAINS, GORGES, LAKES, FOREST, COAST, VALLEYS, RIVERS, PRETTY CITIES, WATERFALLS, CULTURE & MUSEUMS, PEOPLE, CHURCHES, MINES, ISLANDS, SWIMMING, LEGENDS & BRIDGES.. oh yes indeedy!

Islands

Slovenia only has a few islands, so we can make a list of them here for you, but each one is a completely different proposition to consider visiting on your day out.

Bled Island (60 mins) Take a local gondola (Pletna) or row yourself to this picturesque island at the far end of lake Bled. On one side there are steep stone steps up to the church and if you ring the bell you can make a wish!

If you don’t go to the island itself, then you will spend most of your time around Bled gazing at its beauty, either from the walls of the castle high up on the cliff or as you walk around this stunning lake.

Chestnut Island, (Kostanjevice) (90 mins). The bottle green river Krka snakes around the medieval village of Chestnut, with access to the island only by a big wooden bridge. It looks like great fun rowing a boat around the island and there are several really great places to visit close by, including Slovenia’s biggest gallery, (it’s really good and has lots of outdoor wooden sculptures in the neighbouring fields to find) and a vineyard run by monks.

You could also explore the Krka river on a trip to Chestnut island, stopping off at castles and maybe sampling the local Cvicek wine.. only to be found here in the whole world!

Izola (35 mins) is translated as island, but was last an island in Roman times. Now it’s a pretty peninsular town and our top pick at the coast for a relaxing day out, swimming, eating, strolling or cycling. We love this place and the ice cream here is extremely yummy!
There is also a great little museum in the old town where you can see ancient maps of when Izola was actually an island. It also has great exhibits about sailing and the sea and upstairs a really great mini museum with working model railway showing the route of the Imperial railway that went from Trieste to Croatia and is now a very pleasant cycle path. Steamtastic!

Krizna Cave (35 mins) has a stunning 4 hour underground adventure trip restricted to just 1,000 persons per year and during this longer tour is an island you will paddle around Slovenia’s biggest underground island! This is one of several surprises on this tour and believe us, the time flies as you discover another world in a rubber boat with rubber boots, just 3 other people and a wonderful guide.

Otok (40 mins) also means island in Slovene and this one is Slovenia’s only “disappearing” island as it sits on lake Cerknica, Europe’s largest disappearing lake. So in the winter it is surrounded by water and is an island and in the summer the water has mysteriously drained away to leave a pretty tree topped hill!

You could also cycle here from the Lodge and there are plenty of roads or tracks by which to explore the lake or enter the forest. There is also a fab little museum nearby which has a working model of the lake itself and hikers really should walk up to the top of Witches mountain to get a great view of Otok and the lake.